Won't Back Down
by hmweasley
Summary: Luna can't believe she's finally working with Rolf Scamander. When her first research trip is interrupting by a Muggle logging company, she's determined not to back down.


Luna was the only member of the research team able to skip through the rainforest. As everyone else carefully maneuvered around vines and tree branches, Luna was too excited to pay attention to where she was stepping and relied on her hops to carry her over the obstacles on the forest floor. She'd waited years for for this opportunity, and she was finally part of Rolf Scamander's research team. Rolf, though only a few years older than Luna, had made a name for himself almost as great as that of his ancestor. Luna couldn't believe her luck in being part of his work.

"And the wittled-nosed hornet," Luna continued her excited rant, not paying attention to the fact the others were ignoring her. "I can't believe you found it by sound alone when it can hardly be heard by the human ear. That's amazing."

"I guess," Rolf said with a shrug.

Luna frowned slightly. He'd done that with all of her attempts to get him to tell a story. She'd recount something amazing he'd done, unable to believe she was in the presence of a genius, and he'd shrug it off as not that great. It was getting frustrating, but it hadn't put a stop to her attempts yet.

"Why don't you seem excited about your own accomplishments?" she asked, hurrying forward to reach Rolf's side. "They're incredible. At the rate you're going, you'll have documented more new species than anyone else in history. That's something to be proud of."

Rolf sighed and came to a stop, turning to face her. The other members of their research party followed his lead, standing around awkwardly as Rolf faced the youngest member of their party.

"I haven't found the most yet," he pointed out, voice strained though not impolite. "And even if I had, there would still be plenty more out there. There's no use standing around being proud of anything when there's more work to do. I'd like to focus on our current work, please."

He began walking again before Luna could nod in response. The bounce in her step wasn't quite as springy as they continued forward as she felt the others glancing at her from the corners of their eyes. She stared at the ground, being extra careful not to trip over anything in her path.

They had walked for an hour longer, stopping to record signs of known species on the way, when Rolf gasped. Not saying anything to the others, he hurried forward before coming to a stop at the edge of a cleared part of the forest. The rest of the party gathered around him to stare at the tree stumps left behind as evidence.

Anything that had lived there previously was gone. Not even the organisms below ground would fare well after the trees and everything else above them were gone. The Muggle vehicles sitting at the opposite edge of the clearing hinted that the job hadn't been finished yet. They'd just been lucky enough to arrive at a time when the loggers weren't working.

"This is one of the most important areas for our study," Rolf said, staring at the Muggle equipment as if it were a group of Dementors.

"We can petition to have them stop, can't we?" Luna asked, scrambling for possible solutions. "If we explain how it's hurting the environment and get some extra support, it could work."

Rolf had begun shaking his head before Luna was finished speaking.

"These are Muggles," he pointed out. "We can't make an appeal on the basis of our research, and they're more than aware of the environmental costs. A petition would do little to make a difference."

He paused to let the reality of the situation soak in.

"Let's head back to our camp," he said eventually. "We can recoup and talk about our next move there."

Luna remained silent as she followed everyone back to the camp.

* * *

As soon as they got back to their camp, Rolf shut himself in his tent. For several hours, Luna hovered within sight of the tent hoping he'd come out so she could say something to him. Many of the others on the team were sulking along with their leader, but Luna itched to do something about the situation. There was no way she'd let her first trip into the rainforest come to such an abrupt end.

When it became clear that Rolf wasn't going to come out himself, she approached the tent, hesitating only a few times before she came to a stop in front the entrance. She paused as she realized there was no door to knock on, but she quickly recovered, raising her voice as she called out, "Rolf? Can we talk for a minute, please?"

It took several minutes for anything to happen. She was about to turn around and leave when Rolf pulled back the flap of the entrance. He stared at her with a blank expression. His voice was flat when he spoke.

"What do you need?"

"Those Muggles," Luna said, motioning vaguely in the direction of the logging site. "We have to do something! We can't sit around here as if we've lost hope."

Rolf ran a hand over his beard with a sigh.

"There's no way to stop what that company is doing," he said. "Right now, I think our best option is to head back to Rio and regroup there."

"No," Luna said, surprising herself as much as Rolf with the sharpness of her tone. "I didn't give up when I was taken prisoner and tortured during the war. I sure as hell won't give up against a logging company."

Rolf stayed silent for a moment, watching her.

"There's no way to convince them to stop," he said quietly.

"Through talking or getting the others to intervene, probably not, but we have something they don't have. Something that gives us the advantage."

Despite the situation, Luna couldn't help but grin as she thought about them coming out victorious.

"No," Rolf snapped, catching onto her intentions. "Using magic against Muggles is prohibited across the world. If anyone discovered what we'd done, it wouldn't just be this trip that was sabotaged. None of us would work as researchers again. We could very well end up in prison."

"Usually, I would agree with you. Those laws are there for a good reason, but laws can't account for every situation. Besides the Brazilian magical government is as much of a sham as the British one. Have I not told you about how they're secretly exploiting the rainforest themselves? I guess I haven't, but one day I'll tell you all about their secret experiments with wand woods. The point is that we can't rely on them, but we have to do something. I survived a war, Rolf. I'm not scared to do what I have to do to protect this part of the forest. If there are any species here waiting to be found, we will find them."

Rolf stared at her for several seconds. Long enough for Luna to believe she had lost until he gave a short nod of his head.

"But only you and me," he said. "No one else puts their careers at risk over this."

Luna didn't dare disagree.

* * *

It was easy to convince the rest of their team to return to Rio for a break before they would regroup and figure out their next course of action. They had no idea that Luna and Rolf had no intentions of leaving their campsite behind. Everything went just as they had planned.

As they traversed the area being logged, setting their traps, Rolf asked Luna if she felt any guilt over what they were doing.

"No," she replied. "Nothing we're doing will physically injure everyone, and we're saving the forest. I feel completely comfortable. Why? Do you feel guilty?"

Rolf shrugged, not providing her with a real answer, but Luna could see his unease even in the darkness. She reached out to touch his arm, gripping his sleeve as if he needed to be stopped from fleeing.

"We're doing something good," she said. "The animals need us."

Rolf took a deep breath and nodded, setting his shoulders before pointing his wand at its target and muttering the spell.

In the morning, the loggers would return to find their equipment rusted and unusable. As soon as they were gone, they would be unable to find the area again. Luna had made sure of that part herself. While it wouldn't be unplottable, all records in the company's file would be wiped clean, including the coordinates for the project. If they tried bringing in more equipment, the trucks would hit barriers they couldn't see.

It had taken a lot of work, and Luna felt utterly exhausted by the time they were done. Still, she knew it was worth it.

"Are you happy?" she asked Rolf as they made the trip back to camp.

"No," he said. "We haven't identified a single new species on this trip. How am I meant to be happy?"

But as he took a step in front of her, she could just catch the grin on his lips in the light of her wand.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenge - Ravenclaw Themed Prompts: Luna Lovegood

Seasonal Challenge - Audrey's Dessert Challenge: cake 4 - write about never being satisfied

Advent Calendar: Luna Lovegood

Word count: 1,536


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